How to Study Biochemistry Pathways

Using Flashcards & Whiteboards

Introduction

To start off, I need to say that I’m not recommending flipping through flashcards to study. Certain parts of biochemistry I might be simple enough to use flashcards for that purpose, but once you start things like Glycolysis and Kreb’s Cycle you’ll need to abandon that method for the most part. This is especially important for biochemistry II because pretty much all you do in that class is pathway after pathway after pathway. And you’ll have to remember every single one you learn, even after you’re tested on it. Because on subsequent tests you’ll be asked how you can use an intermediate from one pathway to enter a previous one you learned. You’ll need to know how these pathways overlap, inside and out, backward and forward.

Biochemistry is extremely cumulative. Do NOT take this lightly. So much so that it’s nearly impossible to fully catch up if you get behind. So you will really need to stay on top of everything and keep practicing past pathways if you want to get an A. I’m not kidding. You might be able to squeak by in biochemistry I because pathways are only the tail end of the semester, but that is impossible in biochemistry II. I’m really stressing this because it’s absolutely true and I wish I had someone to tell me this when I was taking it. I don’t want you to have the same struggle I did after getting behind.

For me, the purpose of flashcards was to store information about each specific reaction step in every pathway. Some reactions require more notes than others. There will be some very short exceptions, but for the most part I recommend separating each step. The way I practiced the pathways was, well, by practicing them. There’s really no shortcut to this; you will need to know every intermediate structure (but focus on important ones noted by your professor), and writing them out again and again is honestly the most efficient way to learn them. If there are big whiteboards available to you around campus use them for this purpose. Otherwise you could use a small whiteboard. My flashcards really were just my step-by-step way of checking my work, but by making them you are studying. And, okay, if I have “dead time” like standing in line for something or waiting for class to start I might flip through them, just don’t make that your primary method for studying.

Now onto how I personally organize my reaction flashcards. This “style” of flashcards can apply to other classes as well; I use it for advanced organic chemistry, also.

This is the mini accordion file I have for my flashcards.

You don’t need to have one of these but I would highly recommend it just because you will have a lot of flashcards if you go into biochem II.

Shown inside are the glycolysis/TCA unit and most of the lipids unit. Those two units alone are pretty hefty, so just imagine how many flashcards you’ll have by the time you finish biochem II. Phew.

The Flashcard Format

FRONT OF FLASHCARDS

Top: Step number (just to keep your cards in order; you won’t need to remember step numbers) and relevant enzyme. You could write the reagent and product but enzymes is just how I chose to do it.

Bottom: Name of pathway.

Left Center: Part of the pathway you’re in if there are multiple “phases”.

BACK OF FLASHCARDS

First, I write out the reaction in a bold black pen including every relevant part of the reaction. I use a different color for each step in the pathway and then use it to annotate that step.

This example happens to have an intermediate.

Then I make sure to write the name of each structure since you’ll need to know structures by name.

On an exam if you don’t remember the structure and you’re not required to draw it, just write the name. Some are more important than others because they show up in multiple pathways (e.g., pyruvate, GAP, glycerol) but you need to know them.

Below the reaction I write down key points about the particular step.

If something is particularly (un)/stable you may want to note that. But if it’s a rate-determining step, such as in the example above, you definitely want to make note of that.

A lot of steps you encounter will be in equilibrium, so you also want to note irreversible steps.

Lastly, figure out your own way to keep track of things like ATP, NADH, CO2, etc.

In glycolysis, for example, you could write on the bottom how many net ATP you have at that particular step.

These are flashcards from the lipid unit. I actually didn’t make flashcards on cholesterol synthesis and at least one other small mini-pathway, so I should really have another 1 or 2 pack(s). This is just to show you how many flashcards you’re going to need to make for every unit. At the end of biochemistry I you might have 3-4 total in terms of pathways. In biochemistry II you’ll have at least three or more per unit. So be aware. It’s a lot of memorization and it sucks, but that’s just the nature of the subject. It’s tedious but you need to know how pathways interconnect. It’s extremely important.

I highly recommend you start flashcards for a pathway the day you learn it in class (or earlier). As I think I’ve emphasized quite enough, you’ll need to know a lot, and there are truly no shortcuts here. Making the flashcards helps you learn about the structures and importance of each step; so just making them is studying (you’re essentially making a study guide separated into cards; feel free to make study guides summarizing everything, it’s definitely recommended).

I made the flashcards… now what?

Whiteboards!

My physics professor requires us to have one for in-class practice (he asks us to show our answers so he can get a feel for what we need to work on as a class). So if you don’t have one, consider buying one. Try to avoid getting one that’s really small because you’ll have to keep erasing. If you have access to big whiteboards elsewhere on campus, use them!

This is the synthesis of cholesterol from advanced organic chemistry (i.e., synthesized in the lab, NOT the same as biochemical synthesis in the body). This is just an example of why the big boards are nice; you can draw out more steps! And then don’t erase them so other people can bask in the beauty of chemistry. I doubt you’ll need to know any mechanisms in your biochemistry classes so don’t panic about that.

There’s really no wrong way to use a whiteboard to study. At first you will not have them memorized (obviously) so practice writing out each step while you verbally annotate what’s happening in each reaction, and why it’s important. Once you learn them do it from memory. Don’t cheat, it won’t help you.

You could practice with friends checking your work to mend this if you can manage to stay on task. If you get stuck, look it up in your flashcards and move on, but edit the structure and write it in red pen to remind you that you forgot that step. Then just keep practicing it.

You will only need to do it at least once a day so long as you make your flashcards right after you learn it in class. Otherwise expect to spend more time on it per day (i.e., biochemistry II is a class where cramming will NEVER work; don’t take that as a challenge because you will not get an A, I promise you).

Good luck!

This is a republishing. Originally published on Tumblr on March 31st, 2015.